"I wonder if the response would have been the same if a democrat president had requested assistance."Wonder no more."President Lyndon B. Johnson repeatedly asked British Prime Minister Harold Wilson to send British troops to Vietnam between 1964 and 1967, but Wilson adamantly refused. Despite significant pressure, including requests for a "marching band" or a single regiment (the Black Watch), Wilson kept UK combat troops out to avoid domestic backlash. ""marching band" or a single regiment (the Black Watch)"![That sounds almost Trumpian-style]Key details of the pressure and refusal include:The Request: Johnson wanted military involvement to show international support for the U.S. war effort.The Refusal: Wilson declined the requests due to pressure from his own Labour Party, the Treasury, and potential negative public opinion.Diplomatic Fallout: The refusal strained the "special relationship" between the two leaders. Johnson was furious, and in some meetings, behaved with "diplomatic sarcasm," according to The Guardian and Reddit user discussions.Support Apart from Troops: While declining to send troops, Wilson did not publicly criticize the war and provided other support to the U.S..Financial Leverage: In 1967, Johnson reportedly linked U.S. support for British sterling to the deployment of troops, which Wilson continued to resist."Anyway, that is the publicly accepted story. In reality "While the UK officially deployed no combat troops, small numbers of British SAS personnel were unofficially present in Vietnam. They served primarily as advisors, trainers, or in intelligence roles, with some attached to Australian (SASR) units, US Special Forces, or operating in covert, non-combatant capacities."Helping/not helping, a la Starmer.---------------------------------"When Wilson was asked by a Labour party colleague why he did not condemn the Vietnam War, he responded: “we can’t kick our creditors in the balls”."
David Ainsworth ● 19d